CORPUS CHRISTI - Former law firm operator Mauricio Celis, convicted of falsely identifying himself as a peace officer, had his conviction upheld by the 13th Court of Criminal Appeals.

Celis was found guilty in July 2010 of false identification as a peace officer, a Class B misdemeanor. He was sentenced to suspended jail time, placed on probation and fined $2,000.

Celis, 41, was accused of impersonating a public servant, a third-degree felony. The case is related to a Sept. 15, 2007, incident in which a nude woman left Celis' Kings Crossing home and walked to a convenience store.

Police officers have said Celis showed up at the scene in a bathrobe, flashed a badge and asked to take the woman.

He appealed the conviction on four issues dealing with insufficient evidence to support the jury's verdict, specifically about the badge that identified him as a reserve deputy sheriff. On Thursday the 13th Court of Criminal Appeals upheld the trial court's decision.

"I was a reserve deputy sheriff. The sheriff testified to that in court," Celis said. "The badge case should've never happened."

He said he is saddened and disappointed in the court's decision because he was expecting the case to be over years ago. He plans to appeal the case to the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals.

"I can only continue to go forward and believe in myself," he said.

Celis, who now runs an oil and gas industrial business, continues to fight the misdemeanor conviction because he knows he didn't do anything wrong, he said.

"It's just not right."

Prosecutors have said Celis used a Duval County reserve deputy badge even though he knew his law enforcement commission had been suspended for years.

Celis' attorneys argued he never should have been convicted because his badge was valid at the time it was issued and his reserve deputy status was at the discretion of then Duval County Sheriff Santiago Barrera.

The review is the latest in a series of court battles for Celis.

Celis was convicted in February 2009 of 14 counts of falsely holding himself out as a lawyer. He appealed the conviction on 18 points but was denied by the 13th Court of Appeals.

The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals agreed in February 2012 to review the case on four points that deal with questions about whether the jury received proper instructions. A decision on that appeal is pending.